


The Mutara Trade Ruse

by Psylent_Fox



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Eventual Smut, F/M, Hooray for More Characters, Intrigue, Mutara, Space Opera, Space Pirates, Suspense, wildehopps
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2017-03-27
Packaged: 2018-09-13 01:01:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9098839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psylent_Fox/pseuds/Psylent_Fox
Summary: Based off of the artwork and excerpts by TheWyvernsWeaver and Kulkum! Captain Nicholas Wilde, a space pirate with a hidden past, has just been captured by the Galactic Federation Navy's newest ship Captain, Judith Hopps. Captain Hopps is quick to glean that the pirate and his crew are far more than they appear and she is launched into a race against time to uncover the truth before it's buried away forever. Based on the true events as told by the novel: 'The Complete Accounts of Captain Judith Laverne Hopps of the Galactic Federation Navy'.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just wanted to let all of you know that I am SO sorry that it took me so long to get this posted on here! I initially planned on posting this to Deviant Art first and letting them have early access before posting it here on AO3...but a whole month later? Life got in the way! If you want to look at the artwork and read the chapters as soon as they are posted you can find me here on Deviant Art, and below will be the links for TheWyvernsWeaver and Kulkum if you don't know about them already!
> 
> Me: http://psylentfox.deviantart.com/  
> Kulkum: http://kulkum.deviantart.com/  
> TheWyvernsWeaver: thewyvernsweaver.deviantart.com/

** The Mutara Trade Ruse: Chapter 1 **

_Slick was a good name for him._

_Slippery as a topsail schooner in a fully armored galleon, she spent the better part of two months chasing the ship simply known as the Wilde. Around the moons and across seas of stars, she had hunted this one prize; the most wanted pirate in the Mutara sector. And when she finally had the ship with black sails in her sights, the battle was grueling. While parts of her own ship smoldered and billowed black smoke into space, she ignored the blood dripping down her face as she banked around and away from the bow cannons. She heard the fighting behind her as it reached the doors of the bridge. Tactically sound, swift. Sly. He always managed to board without being noticed, strike before there was time to react._

_As the doors to the bridge exploded inward and four armed mammals stormed in with pistols drawn, she turned to see the scruffy red fox wander in at a seemingly leisurely pace. Dressed all in black and crimson, slim and tall, with a long muzzle that held a smirk that said he knew he had won the day, he stopped and held his paws up in mocking surrender as she drew her own pistol and leveled it at his chest._

_“I have to give you credit, Captain Fluff,” he said, his head cocked to the side as he glanced out towards his ship. She knew it was turning to drop another volley, more than likely on command from the fox in front of her if his boarding action failed. Captain Hopps didn’t turn her eyes away from the deep emeralds that refocused on her. “You live up to your reputation of never giving up a chase once you have your eyes set on what you want. But there is nowhere to go, and surrender is the only option.”_

_Her muzzle curved into a vicious little grin as she swept the red cloak out behind her, placing foot and paw on the wheel to brace the ship as the countdown in her head ran to zero. The explosion was magnificent; the dozens of cloaked explosives lacing the hull of his ship tearing it apart, triggering the core. It was enough to turn black alloy and crew alike into a ball of molten fire that burned as brightly as a sun for a moment, and forced the stunned fox to shield his eyes from the glare of his loss. After the shockwave struck, when he found his hind paws and could look at her again, that savage grin remained on the bunny’s muzzle._

_“I accept your surrender, Captain,” she said, watching his brows drop into an unhappy line when he realized he had fallen into her trap. “Now… Let’s talk terms.”_

* * *

“Terms?” The vulpine pirate chuckled darkly as he raised both paws level with his shoulders in surrender, the fox letting his pistol dangle from one finger while he waited for the weapon to be removed from his possession. “Typically, one talks terms of surrender _before_ ships are blown up, not after.”

Captain Hopps’ eyes narrowed as he nodded her head towards Captain – no, _former_ Captain Wilde; couldn’t be a Captain without a ship, or a crew. Two of her Federation Marines reacted immediately, one stripping the weapon from his paw while the other struck the backs of his legs with a swift kick, forcing the fox onto his knees. With his pistol secured the pair promptly secured his wrists behind his back before sliding a silvery collar around his neck, the device closing with a metallic clink. “Yes, that would normally be the case,” Judy began as she holstered her own pistol, “However, you forced me to play my hand when you boarded my ship and blew open the doors to my bridge. Although your ship may be a smoldering grave for the rest of your crew, that doesn't mean the rest of you have to die.”

“Tell your crew members to stand down, Wilde.” Captain Hopps knew she had a reputation amongst the Federation Navy for being cold and remorseless, but that only really extended into battle; once the last cannons had been fired there was no need to spill more blood after the victory had been secured. “I do not want to have your mammals killed, but I will personally put a bolt in each one of them until I have your absolute surrender.”

The rabbit officer watched the former ship captain’s eyes move rapidly between her and the four remaining members of his vulpine crew. The serious expression left his face as he cocked his head to the side and that _devilish_ smile spread across his lips. “So, do you want ‘absolute surrender’, or do you want to ‘talk terms’? I might not be a ‘learned’ fox, but I know enough to tell you that those two demands are contradictory.”

Judy’s muzzle curled into an annoyed sneer as he held out a paw towards Nick’s kneeling form. “Sergeant? If you would, please.”

“Rah, Ma’am.” Came a Federation Marine’s reply, and it was all of the warning Nicholas Wilde received before a powerful charge of electricity shot through his body. If she was to be honest with herself, Captain Hopps disdained the Neural Network Interference collars, or ‘shock collars’ as they were more commonly known as; the lapine officer wasn’t one for extreme forms of corporal punishment. Despite this she watched with interest as the fox clenched his back and pulled his muzzle from the deck, the pirate’s expression was hardened in concentration and he held his head high. It was an amazing feat, in her mind at least; that amount of current usually left mammals his size quivering masses of pained flesh. Perhaps he had some fight left in him after all?

            “I think that you’ll find ‘absolute surrender’ the best option you have for you and your crew to make it out of this alive.” Judy replied cooly as she raised her left paw to wipe a little blood out of her eye before she crossed her arms underneath her breasts; it didn’t escape her notice that the fox’s emerald eyes watched the action with great interest. The rabbit officer’s own violet eyes moved off of the red furred scallion in front of her and focused on the four foxes that were surrounded by eight of her marines; they were all holding their pistols at the ready, as if waiting on a signal to perform some slap dash last stand.

Three males and a female: one was tall and muscular with silver fur; another fox was older with burned and patched fur. The two younger foxes were in stark contrast with one another, with the female having a pink, champagne colored fur while the male had a normal black, red, and white coloration; his head fur was, however, cleanly groomed to what Captain Hopps recognized as Federation Marine Corps standards. A former marine working in a pirate’s crew? Her lip curled into a small smile, she would be very interested in interviewing these pirates later on; there was no doubt in her mind that a shady and mysterious mammal like Nick Wilde must have had a hell of a time recruiting them. Or he must have had a lot of credits.

            “Alright, absolute surrender it is!” The vulpine pirate laughed sullenly as he turned his head to face his rag-tag boarding party. “Guys? I think it’s time we give up, yeah? We had a good run, all things considered; at least we got to taste freedom one last time.”

            Captain Hopps’ sneer formed into a small smile as she leaned back against the ship’s steering wheel. Her grin broadened when the four crewmammals looked at one another before slowly, _reluctantly_ , handing over their weapons before dropping to their knees and placing their paws behind their backs. The female fox muttered loud enough for the whole deck to hear. “Whelp, we’re dead anyways. Might as well live a little longer.”

            Judy’s grin faded away as she listened to the vixen’s words; did she truly believe that she would execute them after all of the effort she and her crew expended to capture them? Captain Wilde’s- no, _former_ Captain Wilde’s words brought her attention back to him. “Say, Captain Carrots… there isn’t any possible way I could convince you to let them go, now is there? You’ve got me already, you don’t need them. Maybe we can make a little deal-sy?”

            The seriousness of the fox’s words belied his playful tone, and she watched him with great amusement; the bad ones always tried to make deals once they had been caught. “Go on, _Captain_ Wilde, I’m listening.”

            Despite the fact that the rabbit was now carefully inspecting the claws on her right paw she could clearly see the fox’s demeanor shift; gone was the morose mask of defeat, and in its place sat a masterfully crafted domino of aloofness and glib. The fox pirate’s proposals should at least be entertaining to hear if his skill with speech was a sharp as his ability to captain his ship. “I’m waiting.”

* * *

There was dead silence in the walkways of the GFN Burrow, not a single soul made a sound as the boots of four foxes and eight rabbits echoed across the cold expanse of Titanimite alloy flooring. A Left, then a right, another left, then another right; the number of different paths they could have been taken to the bridge of the Federation ship was dizzying; the infamous pirate Nicholas Wilde half wondered to himself how he and his crew ever managed to find the vessel's command deck at all. He thoughtlessly stepped over a twisted, smoldering section bulkhead, the product of his vessel's plasma cannons, but he really didn't pay it any mind. Were ships suited to rabbit crewmammals always this dizzying? More importantly did they design it in such a way to confuse boarders such as himself, or was it to make their lapine crew feel more at home? Interesting.

"You seriously offered to be her body servant? Unbelievable! My brother is _dead_ and you’re joking about _servicing_ the rabbit that killed him!?"

Ah, so it was Felicity that broke the silence first. "There were twenty-four other souls aboard too, Felicity. You’d do well to remember that. Everyone lost somebody today." Nick effortlessly wormed his way through fallen bundles of cable and debris in front of him, a feat considering his paws were flexi-zipped behind his back, and paused once through, turning around to face the vixen. She was of the red fox breed, such as himself, tall and lithe; the pink, champagne color of her fur was rather fetching. Absentmindedly he wondered why he hadn't thought to try and take her to his bed before. “Besides, if I could spare the noose for the four of you by servicing the enemy, then you get to live, and I get to live. Freedom for you, _fun_ for me-”

Immediately she bared teeth and slammed her forehead against the tip of his muzzle. The force of the blow caused Nick to reel backwards, nearly tripping over the two rabbit marines acting as the advance guard. The pain was jarring, but not blinding as it should have been. Once he regained his balance the Nick gazed at her intently; the fox's pink tongue lapping at the small trickle of blood that flowed from his nose.

"This wasn't part of the deal, Wilde! No one was supposed to die! They were supposed to- ahhhhhhh!" Felicity's anger filled words were cut short as blue electricity danced over her form. Nick winced. The rabbit's didn't seem all too hesitant to utilize their Neural Network Interference collars. Once the shock disappeared Nick watched as the pink furred vixen collapsed to her knees, however she received no respite despite the trauma, and she was pushed to her feet quickly by a steely faced marine. "Keep moving, and no talking!"

"I would highly advise that we do as the rabbit says, Lemonade, we can talk about this another time- argghhhh!" Nick's entire body locked up as his own 'shock collar' fired off, the fox going ram-rod straight, his snout pointing towards the ceiling as his tail shot out behind him. Once the charge had tapered off the fox struggled to stay on his hind paws, but with a _lot_ of effort and concentration he managed to retain his bearings. When his head dropped to look at the rabbit that had triggered his collar, his fangs revealed themselves menacingly. "I'm trying to keep my crew under control. If you don't want them to cause any more trouble I suggest you let me do my job as their captain-ngghhhh!"

Nick's knees gave away this time; the electricity that surged through his form was far stronger this time. When he could breathe again it came in heavy pants, and his emerald eyes turned towards the devil-rabbit. "Without a ship you aren't a Captain anymore, scum." The lapine marine raised the rifle in his paws to strike him, and Nick tensed to receive the blow, but when it never came the fox opened his eyes and was shocked at what he saw. 

A larger rabbit, this one with sergeant stripes on his breast plate and shoulder pauldrons, was holding onto the trooper's rifle by the barrel; his disapproving frown and stern brow appeared to be etched into his features. "We're _Federation Marines_ , Private Hayseed. We don't beat our prisoners. I suggest you stow your attitude before you find yourself on shore without a uniform or a paycheck. Rah, Devil?"

"Rah, Sergeant, understood." The enlisted marine replied before he lowered his rifle with a solemn expression. With that he leaned forward and gripped Nick's arms and helped him to his paws. The fox thought of a few verbal jabs, but he decided that it was better to let the comments rest; he knew the next shock would more than likely knock him on his tail. He winced as he was shoved forward once more, the fox continuing to weave through more of the ship's battle damaged hallways. The walk only lasted a few more minutes, the seemingly endless passages finally ending at a large junction with two other alleyways and a large, open air personnel elevator.

"Halt." Came another rabbit's voice, and Nick along with his four other crew members stopped in place. "Captain Wilde, step off to the side; the rest of you move into the lift."

"Excuse me Sergeant," The vulpine ship’s captain asked tentatively as he stepped compliantly out from the head of the column. "Mind telling me where I am going?"

“You will find out soon enough, Captain.” The marine sergeant replied quickly, “As soon as your crew is secured below deck we will discuss your arrangements.”

Nick looked at his ship mates as they passed him one by one. Rosco, a grizzled pirate with patchy fur, strode by silently with his permanent scowl affixed to his muzzle. "Captain."

Falcon, a young red fox like Nick, walked with carefully measured steps, his head and eyes locked forward; despite being a pirate the former Federation marine didn't seem to let anything break his military bearing. "It's been a pleasure serving with you, sir."

Conklin was a large fox, the blood that had matted his head stood in stark contrast to the canine's natural silvery fur. His hulking frame paused by Nick for the briefest of moments, the crewmamammal nodding his head slightly before he continue towards the lift. "See you on the other side, Captain."

Felicity was the last to pass him, unlike Conklin she stopped next to him, the vixen looking up at him with wide eyes. "You promised to take care of us, Captain." Her eyes dropped away briefly, but they returned to his. "You did the best you could, Nick. Able was happy serving under you. I know that I was…" The champagne furred fox leaned up and placed her lips to his cheek before she too moved onto the lift, a quartet of rabbit marines flanking them. Nick watched with sad eyes as the doors closed, shielding them from his view.

"Sergeant?" Nick turned his head towards the non-commissioned officer and arched an eyebrow. 

            “Don’t worry about your crew,” The lapine non-commissioned officer murmured, “Despite Private Hayseed’s unctuous disposition we’re a regimented lot; we’ll take good care of your mammals and ensure that they arrive safely to the Federation for a fair trial.”

            “To your left, Captain Wilde, if you would please, sir.”

            Nick turned his head and glanced down an adjacent alleyway when the marine gestured towards it. It was non-descript, same as the rest of the brown and grey titanamite alloy passageways, but it appeared to be undamaged by the battle before; he did note that there were a number of symbols lit up on a small panel above it. While they held no meaning to him, he was certain that they had some sort of connotations for the rest of the GFN _Burrows_ crew; many ships used icons that were unique to them to denote certain important areas of the vessel while eschewing galactic standard texts. It was a boon for the crew defending a ship, and a bane for hostile parties that wished to board. How exactly Falcon managed to find the command deck in this confusing warren of passage ways Nick thought he might never know.

            When the sergeant motioned again the vulpine pirate sighed and nodded slowly before marching towards alleyway. Nick’s ears perked up when the NCO began talking as they walked. “The Federation has an upstanding tradition when it comes to prisoners.”

            A left, a right, and another left. A long hallway and then a cipher-locked bulkhead door, which was followed by another immediate right. “When the crew of a hostile ship is captured, they are placed below deck and kept separated from one another, while the Captain of the ship is moved elsewhere, away from the crew.”

            A few more twisting corridors and Nick found himself stopping when one of the rabbit marines trotted ahead of him halted immediately. “They are given the most basic of necessities, and we treat them with the respect due given by the Galactic Prisoner of War Treaty of 3001. The Captain of the ship, however, is given a little better treatment, out of respect.”

            _‘Respect?_ ’ The fox chuckled to himself under his breath. There were a dozen reasons the pirate could think of off the top of his head as to why the leadership and crew were separated, the most important being if the ship’s Captain and crew were apart then organized resistance was far less likely. Nick took a small step back away from a thick blast door embedded deeply into the hallway as the marine NCO stepped towards it. The rabbit placed a paw on the nearby command console and moved his head towards a socket that extended from the wall; a number of small lights blinked in time with his words as he spoke. “Sergeant Rolins, Cookie.”

            Nick noted the small, musical chirp as access was granted and the door slid off to the side revealing a small, spartan room. There looked to be very few amenities, other than a small bed off in one corner and a tiny night stand right next to it. Well, at least the bed looked comfortable, the fox decided. “This will be your new home until we can get you back to the Federation. You can control the lights by issuing basic commands, and the lavatory is built into the wall opposite of the bed. The nozzle for the shower is above the grated floor in the corner; temperature is controlled the same as the lights.”

            The pirate’s eyes flicked over towards Sergeant Rolins when he leaned against the wall with a small smile on his face; given how aged and worn the rabbit appeared the grin looked decidedly out of place. “There isn’t a curtain, so don’t make a mess, my marines won’t clean up after you.”

            “Duly noted.” Nick smiled back ruefully as the flexi-cuff restraints were cut away and he was given a soft push into the room before the door shut tightly behind him. “No orange jumpsuit?” The fox chuckled to himself, “Ah! Not even a towel! How inconsiderate.”

The irony was not lost to him, considering _he_ had boarded _their_ ship, but his self-imposed light heartedness forced his spirits back up. With his paws free the fox rubbed his wrists tenderly before clapping as he surveyed his room with a more careful eyes; everything was the same as before, although he was able to see a small black bubble in the corner. Nick smirked as he waved at the shielded camera lazily, the pirate padding over to the bed before sitting down on the thin comforter. Experimentally he bounced up and down a few times before rocking side to side.

At least the bed _was_ comfortable.

* * *

            Captain Judy Hopps did her best to not make a sound as the naval corpsmammal dabbed at the wound on her head with a staunch anti-septic. The brown furred rabbit frowned when she winced and tried to pull away, and he placed a paw firmly on the other side of her head as he firmly scrubbed at the dried blood around the finger-length gash that spanned across her right eye. “If you keep moving, Captain, I’m going to have to be far more forceful. What would happen if a serious infection took hold this close to your brain?”

            The lapine officer knew he let his words trail off on purpose, sometimes leaving things up to the imagination could work wonders for mammals that were averse to treatment. At least it helped get head-strong marines thinking about their personal wellbeing, however, _she_ was not a primary school educated trigger puller. She was an _officer_ , a different breed, and this was her ship; she wasn’t going to be lectured. Well, at least she wasn’t going to allow herself to be lectured to by anyone _except_ the ship’s sawbones and combat medics; it was important to keep those that held one’s life in their paws happy. Besides, they were well respected tradesmamals, and they had the love of every mammal on her ship.

“I understand, doc, however,” A hiss escaped her lips as the antiseptic was replaced with a flesh bonding agent; the chemicals reacting with the blood to form a tight seal; the substance had the nasty tendency to get very hot while it bonded. “Sheeeeeitttt! I don’t think I need to be doted after like a child for a scratch like this, especially since there are sailors under me that could actually _need_ medical attention.”

“Everyone else is already in medical receiving treatment. Very few serious injuries, despite the circumstances: a long, drawn out exchange of salvos and a boarding party?” The corpsmammal hummed to himself as he applied a pair of butterfly sutures to the wound before covering everything with a thick patch of self-adhesive gauze. “A few broken bones here, some superficial burns there, maybe a concussion… or _twelve_ – but surprisingly enough, this head wound is probably the most blood I’ve seen since the battle commenced.”

Captain Hopps’ eyes narrowed as she let her gaze drop down to the medical rabbit that was packing his equipment back into his kit bag. “What do you mean by that, doc?”

“What I mean, Captain,” The corporal huffed as he lifted the single strapped bag over his shoulder, “Is that the foxes that boarded with, what’s his name, Captain Wilde was it? Yeah, they were running around the ship with their firearms on _stun_ ; so far there hasn’t been a single KIA tallied, although engineering still hasn’t reported in. Lazy bastards. Granted I think that the relay to the communications hub might have been damaged; so there is that to consider as well.”

The rabbit officer froze as a shock flooded her body: the boarding action hadn’t resulted in _any_ casualties? Judy’s mind worked furiously as the corpsmammal leaned in close to her. “There’s a lot of scuttlebutt running around, Captain. Personally, I believe that they weren’t trying to kill us. It wouldn’t make any sense! I think that they were trying to capture the vessel and hold us up for ransom-!”

Judy’s swift, sweeping arm gesture silenced him immediately. “I do not engage in _scuttlebutt_ , doc. I deal in facts, not rumors. You are dismissed, Corporal Bandoug, return to the medical bay and give Sawbones my regards. Also, have the good doctor compile a list of all casualties, their injuries, and how they were treated. I want it on my desk by 0800 galactic standard time.”

Captain Hopps didn’t pay attention to the medical rabbit’s frown at being dismissed, however when he saluted she returned it and collapsed into her command chair when he was off of the bridge. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she twisted the chair from side to side with the tips of her toes. Something didn’t feel right. Not right at _all_. Judy’s lavender eyes ran across the bridge from aft to port, taking in all of the battle damage this section of the ship had sustained; broken monitors, charred bulkheads, a cracked view screen, and a few sparking bundles of cables dangling from the ceiling. From her seat almost all of the damage looked cosmetic; none of the vital systems within the bridge had been damaged. When the GFN _Burrows_ shields went down during the second salvo of fires exchanged, the foxes could have easily sent one of their _Nighthowler_ -IV guided rockets directly through the bridge’s front viewport. A direct hit like that would have easily ended the battle: if the resulting explosion didn’t kill Captain Hopps and the bridge crew, then the depressurization of the command cabin would have sucked them all into space.

It wouldn’t of mattered how they died, either way the result would have been the same – Nick Wilde’s escape.

No. This was pure speculation, she had one of the best rabbit pilots in the Federation at the helm of her ship; no doubt Petty Officer 3rd Class Sheer’s skills at the wheel had helped them avoid a majority of their foe’s ship-destroying fire. Granted Judy did have to take the helm when the spotted rabbit fractured both of her wrists, the wheel having jerked away from her during a particularly harrowing salvo from the _Wilde_ ; PO3 Sheer was in the infirmary being treated.  Slowly Captain Hopps turned her head towards one of her junior officers, her niece Linda was frantically typing away at the damaged console in front of her. “Ensign Hopps.”

“Yes, Captain!” The brown furred doe squeaked as she turned her chair towards Judy.

“Scan the wreckage for survivors. If there are any escape pods, we’re picking them up. And make the scan _thorough_.”

“Aye-aye, Captain! Our sensors are heavily damaged though, so it will take some time. I feel like I’m looking through a straw.”

“Your complaints are noted, Ensign. _Make. It. Happen._ Ensign Cooper,” A black furred buck with white-tipped ears spun his head to look at Judy. “It’s been nearly an hour; I want those battle damage assessments in my paw _yesterday_.”

“I have them nearly complete, Captain, but engineering still has not sent me their report over the system yet!”

Captain Hopps deadpanned as she leaned forward in her chair dangerously, one paw on the armrest and the other on her right knee. “Do you have legs, Ensign Cooper?”

The junior officer froze slightly his eyes wide. “Yes, ma’am?”

“Well then use them! Run down to engineering and get me my _damn_ BDA!” Judy hadn’t meant to shout at the rabbit as he darted past her and off of the bridge, but by the Mother rabbit and all that was _holy_ in the galaxy, the officers the Galactic Federation Naval Academy has been churning out lately didn’t even know what to do when communications to sections of their own ship had been damaged! Judy took a deep breath before she addressed the rest of the officers on the deck. “Lieutenant Summors, if you would, please compile me a list of all pirate activities within the Mutara sector for the past ten years: dates, times, locations, actions, casualties, lists of all items and cargo stolen… _everything_. I also want the lists of known pirate ships that’ve been active in this region.”

“Aye-aye, Captain.” Lieutenant Junior Grade Sommers replied with a quick salute, the snowy furred buck spinning in his chair back to his console to begin his newest task. Judy smiled when the other rabbit sitting next to Sommers spun in her chair, her black furred paw coming up to her brow. “I take it you want me to do the same for the sectors surrounding Mutara, Captain?”

“Always astute, Jay-Gee Winters. Cross-reference those reports and highlight the ships that have been seen operating in both sectors. If there are any differences with how they’ve conducted their affairs, depending on which sector they’ve been active, highlight it. I want it on my desk in forty-eight hours.” Captain Hopps stood up from her command chair and turned towards the blown out doors leading to the command deck, the rabbit walking up to a pair of rabbits arguing with each other in hushed tones. One of the rabbits was a few years younger than her, Commander Savage, her executive officer and ‘Number One’. The other was Master Chief Petty Officer Kenneth Hopps, one of her many, many uncles, and he served as her senior Non-Commissioned Officer on the ship.

Commander Savage and Master Chief Petty Officer Hopps had two very different roles on the ship. Although both were leaders, in their own right, they each had their own niche and responsibilities on the ship. Non-Commissioned Officers, like MCPO Hopps, were responsible for looking after the welfare of the marines and sailors under them, and in certain cases ensuring that proper order and discipline was maintained among the ranks. Commander Savage’s responsibilities were just as important, but they were far less involved; he was responsible for maintaining the day to day operations of the ship, and serving in lieu of Judy when she was not on the bridge. Both jobs were vital to keeping the GFN _Burrows_ in order; however, like all good officers and NCOs, these two were at constant odds with one another. Judy smiled as she stepped up to the pair and looked them both up and down; sometimes keeping these two rabbits away from each other’s throats was a full time job in and of itself. “What seems to be the problem, gentlerabbits?”

“Let me cut to the chase, Judy,” MCPO Hopps began, one paw absentmindedly rubbing at a vertical scar that crossed his left eye. “You look like 5-kilos of bruised, rotting carrots in a 2-kilo bag, sweetheart-”

“Captain Hopps, Chief.” Commander Savage interjected angrily. “ _Captain_. Or ‘ma’am’. We’ve been over this a thousand times; familial relations do _not_ give you the leeway to act so casually with our commanding officer-”

“She’s my niece, Jack; I’ll talk with her as frankly as I please! By the Mother I’ve given thirty-two years of my life to this Navy, and I’ve seen more than enough combat in my time. Judy’s been working herself half to death! She _needs_ a day off, Commander Savage. If she doesn’t pump the brakes then she’s going to fall out in the middle of the deck-”

“Enough.” Captain Hopps said lowly, _dangerously_. “If you two want to argue, the briefing room is down the hall. Yell until you’re blue in the face. However, you will _not_ put on a display like this in front of my officers or my sailors. Am. I. Understood?”

There was a saccharine smile on her face, but her eyes promised something far more sinister. When they both nodded in silence the sweetsy-sweet smile disappeared as one far more exhausted replaced it. “Good. Now, as my senior NCO has reminded me, I look like shit. And I more importantly I feel like shit.”

“Your words, not mine.” Her uncle said with an amused smile on his face as he clasped his paws behind his back and looked at the ceiling. Judy rolled her eyes at her uncle’s antics and continued.

“I am going to retire to my quarters. Number One,” Judy patted the younger officer on his chest, the rabbit’s oddly striped ears perking up as he listened intently, “Look at the BDA and send it to my room, I’ll get around to it when I wake up. Put the ship on course for the nearest station with a dry-dock that can house us and get the repairs started. Uncle, see to it that the sailors are taken care off in the mess tonight. Let Cookie break out the ice-cream; I’d say they’ve earned it.”

“Aye-aye, Captain.” Both mammals replied, snapping a crisp salute to their commanding officer before parting ways.

“Commander Savage has the bridge!” Judy called out as she left the command deck and headed towards the bridge’s direct lift to her quarters, echoes of the command ringing out in the distance as she left them all behind her.

Why was she suddenly so tired?

Could it have been the wound to her head? A mild concussion perhaps? Or was it the strange yet exhilarating battle that had taken place only a few hours before? Speaking of the battle, where was the usual elation she felt whenever she had defeated a particularly difficult foe? Hundreds of similar questions ran through her mind at a thousand kilometers per second, and despite the fact that there were so many things that didn’t add up; her body began shutting down on her as soon as she opened the blast door to her small room.

Judy barely had any energy left to strip the clothes from her body before she hit the bed. Lying on her back, one paw resting on her belly while the back of her other paw laid against her forehead one thing was for certain.

This didn’t _feel_ like a victory.

 


	2. Portent

** Portent **

* * *

 

            “Report from Valentis. Report from Nova Prime. Report from Zootopia City.” Vice Admiral Anderson Bogo brought a hoof to massage a temple as he flipped through the usual mess of reports. Granted, it was his job to compile records from all sectors under his command, however the flow never seemed to end! “Hauser!” The water buffalo roared into the microphone built into his desk, “It's 0500 hours and you still haven’t brought me my damned coffee yet! Please, tell me how I’m supposed to trudge through all of this paperwork without _any_ caffeine!?”

            “Ha ha! Admiral, you’re _always_ so cranky in the morning! Your pot is brewing as we speak,” The cheetah’s reply over the intercom was prompt and sickeningly chipper. “Although, I should let you know that you have a call coming in, boss. Looks like it’s coming from the Senate chambers of-”.

            “Th-ha-ank- _you_ , Captain Clawhasuer, but that will be all.” Admiral Bogo’s left hoof shot out to tap the ‘off’ switch on the console before the feline could object. As the office was plunged into silence the large mammal sighed in relief as he ground the heels of his palms into his eye sockets.

            Nearly one hundred reports came across his desk every day. When combined with the daily briefings from his juniors, stratagem conferences with his superiors, and weekly updates to the Senate Armed Forces committee, everything had begun to take its toll on him. Every morning the admiral rolled out of bed at 0400 hours and when he walked into the bathroom he had to ask the water buffalo in the mirror why he hadn’t just retired at 33 years like the rest of his Galactic Federation Naval Academy cohort? Was it his burning to desire to serve the Federation and provide peace and stability to the explored quadrant of the galaxy? No, that died when he hit 29 years in; too much bureaucracy and red tape. Maybe it was the generous pay bump once he completed his 36th year? Granted he’d only get to keep half of his salary when he retired, but ‘free’ income was ‘free’ income; he’d cash that check soon enough.

_‘Only four months, twenty-two days, and twenty-one galactic standard hours left until retirement.’_

            As Admiral Bogo lifted his head from his hooves he came face to face with the floating holographic screen containing a certain female sheep’s visage. Those conniving eyes, horn-rimmed glasses, and tacky red turtleneck sweater belonged to only one doe he knew, and the realization had the naval officer sitting up straight and smiling congenially. “Oh! Senator Bellweather it’s so good to see you again so suddenly, calling my office unannounced.”

            Senator Dawn Bellweather’s expression was coy as she leaned forward towards the camera, her hooves interlacing under her chin. “Of course! It’s _always_ wonderful to see me! I mean, who _wouldn’t_ want a personal, one-on-one holo conference with the Chair-Mammal of the Senate Armed Services Committee?”

            The admiral knew a rhetorical question when he heard one. Deciding it was in his best interests to let it slide the water buffalo kept his face smooth as the doe continued. “When was the last time we had a little chat, hmm? Six months?”

            “Yes, I remember like it was yesterday, Senator.” Anderson Bogo sighed under his breath as he leaned back away from the screen and scratched at his chin. “You were jumping down my throat about getting someone ‘competent’ into the ‘shared zone’ of the Mutara trade route. A mammal who could ‘get the job done’, as you so put it.”

            The vice admiral paused and waited a few moments for her to speak. However when she did not reply he was forced to continue. “So, Senator Bellweather, to what do I owe the honor of this ‘private’ holo conference?”

            The sheep brought a hoof up to her muzzle to hide a small chuckle. “Oh I thought you’d _never_ ask! Well I just _happened_ to receive this neat little report about Captain Hopps’ actions within the Mutara sector! It seems as though she’s halted a pirate incursion into the trade route all by herself!”

            Senator Bellweather’s smile was cheery, but the eyes behind her black rimmed spectacles were dangerously narrow. Anderson Bogo felt a chill claw at the base of his spine as he swallowed thickly; an incursion thwarted? The water buffalo’s head tilted to the side as he recounted all of the reports that he’d been sent so far that morning. He couldn’t remember seeing _anything_ from Mutara- or Captain Hopps, for that matter. Had he missed it? Just as the bovine officer was about to speak, the intercom on his desk chirped.The senator merely waved a dismissive hoof. The admiral’s jaw tightened as he barely managed to restrain himself from crushing the device. “ _Yes_ , Captain Clawhauser? What is it? I am in the middle of a _very_ important holo conference.”

            “Oh! I know, and I’m terribly sorry to disturb you Admiral, but this report has just arrived, and it’s from Mutara! Priority One!”

            Anderson felt his jaw slacken but he refused to let it drop. Senator Bellweather made no attempt to hide her self-satisfied smirk. Of course the _Chair-Mammal_ of the Senate Armed Services Committee would be able to somehow get her hooves on sensitive reports like these before he did; no doubt her contacts within the Office of Naval Intelligence had a paw in intercepting this information. The only reason he was just now getting Captain Hopps’ report was likely because Senator Bellweather _willed_ it. The middle-aged doe was always on the ‘up and up’, as she called it, and she always enjoyed rubbing everyone else’s face in it. “Send it to me, Captain Clawhauser.”

            “Aye-aye, Sir! Of course, since it’s Priority One you’ll have to authenticate.”

            At the prompt Bogo immediately placed his hoof on the table as the biometric authentication program kicked off. The holo-report flickered to life above his desk. "Go ahead and read it first, Admiral, and then tell me what you see." The doe smiled as she adjusted her glasses before motioning him with a hoof, “Go on.”

            "Hrm..." Bogo tapped his chin as he read the report summary. The GFN _Burrow_ had engaged the _Wilde_ , a well known pirate crew that had been operating in the Mutara sector for the better part of three years. The encounter was made up of several pitched engagements if the video from the battle feed was to be believed; the pirate’s corvette was deceptively advanced. Its shields absorbed far more punishment than what should have been expected for its size, the smaller vessel shrugging off what should have been crippling blows. The _Wilde_ ’s shipboard armament was also brow-raising; multiple banks of military grade plasma cannons and nearly a dozen _Nighthowler-IV_ guided rocket pods? That was serious hardware for a band of pirates. Admiral Bogo was surprised that Captain Hopps’ ship had even survived the battle- let alone _triumphed_?

            When he read that a boarding party from the _Wilde_ , led by none other than the infamous pirate captain himself, managed to make it onto the GFN _Burrow,_ he felt the pit of his stomach sink; despite the scoundrel’s capture, he knew that the number of casualties would have to have been punishing. Deep space brigands brave enough to board GFN ships were ruthless and bloodthirsty; the Vice Admiral was certain the victory would have been costly for the lapine crew. A small smile did spread across his face when he read that the _SL-8_ cloaked mines that he _barely_ approved were what won her the day. Captain Hopps was always a resourceful rabbit.

            With the report summary finished Anderson crossed his arms over his chest and eyed Bellweather. “I don’t see what the problem is here, Senator. I’ve sent nearly a dozen different ship crews into that sector of the Mutara trade route _and_ replaced all of them at your request because they weren’t ‘effective’ enough. It seems to me that Captain Hopps, along with her crew, has actually netted you a true scoundrel to parade in front of the public.”

            "You want to know what I see, Admiral?" Immediately the doe's posture grew downright venomous as she pushed closer to the screen, her voice barely a whisper. "I see at least fifty million credits worth of damage to a _state of the art_ vessel! _That_ is what I see!”

            The senator’s hoof came down on her desk with an audible slap as she continued. “Twenty million to get the _Burrow_ fixed enough to where it can take to deep space again, which means weeks at a Mutaran shipyard! Then once the _Burrow_ returns to Topia space, _another_ thirty million credits to replace the damaged sensor suites, weapons, and internal communications relays!  All for what, Admiral? To take down a _mangy_ pirate ship?!"

Admiral Bogo’s eyes narrowed, though more out of disbelief than anger. According to Captain Hopps’ report, the _Wilde_ was certainly a formidable ship; while not as large as the _Burrow_ it was anything but a pushover. Anderson pushed that little bit of information to the back of his mind for later; there was no way in hell that someone as informed and intelligent as Dawn Bellweather would miss something like _that._ "Well, senator, you wanted results, and you got them. One pirate ship destroyed and its captain captured alive for a public trial."

“Well, I _am_ glad that we’re getting something out of you and your sailors, Admiral. _HOWEVER_ ,” Senator Bellweather screeched as she yelled at the screen, “Those were not the rules of engagement that the Armed Services Committee approved! As much as I simply _adore_ Captain Hopps and her shimmering record, it seems that both you and that little bunny need to understand why we put restrictions on combat operations within the ‘shared zone’!”

            The doe clapped her hooves together before exploding into a flurry of wild gestures. “You’re supposed to find the pirates, chase them, and then gather data on their trajectories when they retreat into ‘dark space’. The Office of Naval Intelligence analyzes the data and compiles it into a list of possible pirate strongholds so we can take them out in a moment of our choosing!”

            Admiral Bogo’s eyebrow twitched slightly. He disagreed with the ‘strategy’ completely; the GFN had been “gathering data” for years, letting hundreds of pirate ships escape in the hopes of gleaning information on pirate hideouts. To date, the GFN had located at least a dozen possible sites within ‘dark space’ that could be potential hidey-holes, and yet nothing had been done about them. Granted, the mere fact that these bases of operations were located in “dark space”, areas of the galaxy filled with black holes, ion storms, and other gravimetric disturbances, made exploring these regions extremely dangerous- let alone conducting combat operations. Thusly Anderson preferred the less esoteric strategy of removing every possible pirate ship that happened to stumble into the fleet’s collective cross-hairs. It was simple and yet lamented by almost every politician on the committee; why couldn’t they understand that it was _very_ difficult to have a piracy problem if there were no pirates?!

            Clearly the Senator and her ilk did not share his nor the rest of the naval council’s sentiments.

            “Also, I’m sure you’re well aware that the Mutara sector anti-piracy budget is shrinking almost by the year! We’re credit-strapped as is! We cannot afford to blow a hundred million credits in repair every time some indigent _cur_ wants to square up with us.” Senator Bellweather let out an angry huff as she leaned back in her chair. The doe sat quietly for a few moments as she scratched at her chin thoughtfully. “At least until we can get those Confederacy and Collective yucks to pull their weight on Mutara's defense budget, anyway.”

             Bellweather's hooves clapped together as anger gave way to a jubilant smile. "Lucky for you, Admiral, this will play out well for us in the upcoming talks with the other troublesome sectors. We'll parade Captain Hopps' victory around, rub it in their noses, and foot them the bill! It would only be fair, after all. Captain Hopps of the GFN." Dawn swept a hoof wide, as if presenting a grand galactic headline, "Obliterating piracy in the Mutara sector one ship at a time! Keeping the citizenry and trade route safe for all!"

              "Of course that means we'll have to..." The sheep trailed off into a mumble. "I know!"

             The senator squeaked and snapped her fingers. "I'’ll head out to Mutara, schmooze with the politicians there, and personally congratulate Captain Hopps on her success. Really show her the Federation’s gratitude for her service.”

             “Senator Bellweather, I do not think that would be a very good idea, let’s not be too hasty about this-” Bogo’s interjection went unheard, more than likely purposefully ignored, as the tiny sheep was already tapping away at the holographic keyboard or her digital assistant.

             "Yes. That happened. I did that. It has been sent. So-!" Dawn trembled in excitement. "President Lionheart is going to be so jazzed!"

             Anderson Bogo forced a smile as he leaned forward and placed his elbows on the desk top. A small sigh of defeat escaped him. Dawn Bellweather seemed impulsive to those unfamiliar with her, but the naval officers who dealt with her before knew she always had an angle. “Glad to hear it, senator. I’m certain that this will go exactly as you plan. Hopefully your little publicity stunt won’t step on too many paws – the Naval Council would be very displeased if you were to let slip any sensitive information.”

            “Oh, stop worrying so much, Admiral Bogo!” Bellweather chuckled. “I _always_ have good ideas. Nothing but the best! I wouldn’t have this position were it not for my intellect.”

            The sitting senator from Sheepala smiled as she clapped her hooves a few more times, her size on Bogo's holographic screen shrunk as he watched her push away from her desk. "Anyways~," She hummed, "Buh-bye now! I have a long trip ahead of me! Have a great day, Anderson! Always a pleasure."

            The Admiral's cheeks sunk into his mouth as the water buffalo watched in disbelief when the doe got up from her _secured_ terminal and merely walked away. "Winston! Prep my ship! We've got some business to care of in Mutara-"

            Bogo's eyes narrowed when he saw a large, sandy furred feline paw reach across the screen to tap at a few keys before the line was cut. Leaving a classified terminal open was a serious no-no, and it made the buffalo wonder if her ditzy demeanor was an act. He balked at the thought of one of the galaxy's shrewdest politicians potentially losing her own head if it wasn't attached to her neck.

            The large water buffalo spun away from the secured console, hitting the intercom with his elbow as he massaged his temples anew. Hopps had always been a hoof-full, but he’d always done his best to keep her away from the politicos. It was more important she focused on her job and not the pomp and circumstance that cloaked the Federation Senate.“Clawhauser, send a message to Captain Hopps for me.”

            “Uh, already got one written up, sir. You… left the intercom on again, I heard the whole thing. Is Judy in trouble?”

            Admiral Bogo felt like he wanted to crush his own skull. This was the second time this week he’d left the damnable thing on. By the Creator, he missed the days when his aides simply walked into his office when he yelled for them. Well, at least Captain Clawhauser was on the same page. Normally Anderson would have sent Hopps an official notice of receipt of her report. However this felt like one of those times where a little more discretion would be necessary. “Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing, sir! I kept the contents of the message vague. Me’n Judy have this little code we used in the Academy together, isn’t that cute?! Ha ha!”

            “ ' _Hauser_ …”. Anderson didn’t try to disguise the sheer annoyance in his voice; this was a serious matter. They had no time for games and flippant chit-chat. No doubt that ONI would have a copy of the message as soon as it left his office, and he hoped that the cheetah’s little ‘code’ was complex enough to stand up to scrutiny. “It better not be pig-latin-”

            “Sir! I said _‘don’t worry’._ We both know that if anything bad happens, I’ll be the fall mammal. If the ghosties decode the message and something bad happens you’ll have plausible deniability; at most you’ll get a slap on the wrist. As for me? Well, I’ll probably get forced into retirement. So relax, it’s been sent, and we’re good to go.”

            “So now we just wait and see where it all goes, huh?” The Vice Admiral snorted. He thanked his assistant and closed the intercom channel before collapsing back into his chair. Why did he ever think it was a good idea to send Captain Hopps? That rabbit seemed incapable of keeping her head down and just following orders, which made it all the more interesting that Senator Bellweather would travel all of the way to Mutara to thank her _personally_. Politicians usually had mammals come to _them_ , not the other way around. It was far easier to throw a parade that way, or paw out a medal in front of the cameras. Curious.

            As Vice Admiral Anderson Bogo, Commander of the 4th Fleet, leaned his chair back and rested his heels on the edge of his desk, a troublesome thought crossed his mind – he still didn’t have his damn coffee.

* * *

 

            _“Wakey, wakey, Captain Sleepy Bun.”_

_Judy’s eyes shot open when the honeyed words caressed her ears. Faster than lightning the rabbit shot upright in her bed, paw firmly grasping the small hold-out blaster she kept under her pillow. The only light in the room came in the form of the soft red lettering of her alarm clock that she’d kept on top of the bed side table; while it wasn’t enough to completely illuminate her quarters  it was exactly what she needed to train the weapon’s glowing front sight blade on her bedroom intruder. The male’s voice was strangely familiar, as was his tall, thin silhouette; the sharply pointed triangular ears provided the lapine officer with enough of a hint yet the interloper’s identity evaded her._

_Figuring it better to be safe than sorry Judy flicked the blaster’s safety off; the shadow’s ears twitched when the positive ‘click’ echoed throughout the room. A warm chuckled filled the silence that followed, and she tracked his arm as it slid smoothly up the wall towards her quarter’s manual light switch. The light should have been blinding, but instead it was only bright enough to for her to see Nick Wilde standing across the room; the fox leaning nonchalantly against the wall near the door. His eyes twinkled with mirth as the small, smug smile on his face grew wider. “A hold-out pistol? A **bunny** sized hold-out pistol?”_

_The canine barked out a laugh as he strutted across the room and stood at the edge of her bed. Nick bent over at the waist with his paws clasped behind his back as he brought himself nearly nose to nose with the small rabbit; if he felt any anxiety with Judy’s blaster inches from his chest he didn’t show it. “You’d have to shoot me at **least** a dozen times with that thing to kill me, Captain.”_

_Judy’s eyes narrowed when he saw his leering gaze trend downwards. While she hadn’t paid it any mind before the rabbit was now keenly aware of her nakedness, and she let her free paw pull the comforter up to cover her body. The rabbit hadn’t remembered stripping completely before she went to bed. Captain Hopps forced the thought away viciously; it wasn’t important. What was crucial, however, was figuring out why the fox was in her quarters and how he had managed to escape his cell. Anger welled up from within her chest when she saw his tongue slide out to lick his muzzle as his nostrils flared to sample her scent closely. “You are delectable, Captain Hopps. As appealing to the nose as you are to the eyes.”_

_The rabbit officer’s paw trembled slightly before she rammed the barrel of her pistol firmly underneath his jaw; the capacitor’s high-pitched whine filled the air as the ‘overcharge’ function kicked in. “I only need one shot to kill you, Wilde.”_

_If the pirate found the sound of the pistol’s ‘overcharge’ menacing he gave no sign; the fox’s hooded eyes never budged and his smug grin only widened. “Come on, Captain. You’re not going to pull the trigger. I’m too **interesting** for you to shoot. You have unanswered questions, Hopps; killing me would be a supreme waste.”_

_The red furred mammal’s gall sent Judy’s ire through the roof. Without warning the rabbit pressed the weapon upwards with all of her might, pushing his head as far back as she could; he would get the message. “Ow. You’re so **rough** , Carrots. I like that.”_

_“The chair on the other side of the room? Sit in it, Wilde.” Captain Hopps’ words were ice cold  as she gestured to the plain, rabbit sized metal chair catty-corner to the door. “Move.”_

_Judy heard Nick sigh as his ears fell to the back of his skull, the fox slowly slinking away from the bed towards the chair with his tail tucked between his legs. A small spark of satisfaction flittered in her mind as she had successfully re-established dominance. “No need to be so frosty, Captain. You’ll never find a mate if you keep shunning personal contact.”_

_“Shut up, Wilde.” It took quite a bit of effort to keep her teeth from grinding._

_Nick Wilde’s discouraged look and wounded demeanor were both gone by the time he finished spinning on his heel flamboyantly to sit on the small chair; his blood red scarf flopped over his shoulder with the momentum of his twirl. A small frown tugged at Judy’s lips as she examined his clothing; it figured that not only would the plunderous todd escape his cell but he **would** find a way to get his clothes back as well. Admittedly the darkness of his jacket, pants, and boots meshed well with his persona; the shock of scarlet cloth around his neck highlighted his emerald eyes. It suited him. Far better than the dull tan smocks that all Prisoners of War donned at any rate. _

_As the utter ridiculousness of the train of thought dawned on the rabbit she grabbed the two pillows that lay behind her back and placed them on the wall to lean against. Now that the escaped pirate was no longer inches away from her muzzle Judy forced herself to relax. If only slightly. Now was the time for calm, evenly measured thinking. Firstly she needed to alert her crew that she was in distress. Then she would focus on keeping the scoundrel distracted long enough for her security team to arrive and subdue him. Trying to figure out how he had managed to escape without rousing alarms all across the ship could wait._

_So, Wilde. Do you normally invite yourself into a woman’s quarters?” The fox was a talker, afterall. Get him thinking about something else while she raised the comforter higher over her body so that she could flick the duress switch located on the side of her bed as stealthily as she could. Once alerted it would take about sixty seconds for her marines to arrive; she only had to keep him busy until then. When the fox looked away took the opportunity and flicked the switch as smoothly as possible; with the comforter pulled up to her neck it seemed like he hadn’t notice. “Or is this something new for you?_

_The fox, however, was eerily silent. It took quite a bit of willpower to overcome her kind’s natural inclination to fidget uncomfortably. “No answer?”_

_No, the pirate didn’t speak a single word. Instead he just made himself comfortable in his chair, the red furred mammal absentmindedly picking at nonexistent lint on his clothing as he waited. What was **he** waiting for? Mock worry came across his face and sarcasm dripped from his words. “Something the matter, Captain Carrot-cake?”_

_“Is something **wrong**?” The rabbit repeated out loud with a snort. Incredulity laced her words before the heat in her voice burned it away, leaving behind only crusted saccharine and venom. “Nothing’s wrong, other than the fact that you are sitting in my quarters and **not** the brig, where you belong.”_

_“Ah, so you’re a philosopher as well?” The fox laughed softly before he raised a paw in front of his chest, fingers spread wide before clenching them into a fist. “Where do I belong!? More importantly, where do **we** belong? Are we all just thieves and brigands deserving to spend eternity in a cell? Or maybe we’re all the captains of our very own ships, just trying to get rest in our quarters while we sail through the endless ocean of stars that is life.”_

_Judy’s brow furrowed as she listened to the fox’s theatrical soliloquy. A slight itch sprung up from in between her shoulder blades as she tightened her grip on her side arm. Where was her security team? It had been well over a minute by now, were they waiting on a written invitation? The fox was now curled up in the tiny metal chair, clutching himself softly while lamenting the woes of mortality. The rabbit’s eyes flicked towards the door._

_Expecting company?”_

_The rabbit officer’s eyes snapped back to the fox at his words; he was no longer cosseting himself on the chair, instead Wilde was sitting forward with his elbows on his knees. A shiver shot down Judy’s spine as ice formed in the pit of her belly. “What are you talking about?”_

_"Your little bunny rescue team, silly!” Nick’s voice began warm as tea and yet it ended equally as bitter. “They’re not coming, Captain Hopps.”_

_The rabbit arched an eyebrow as she adjusted her grip on her pistol and drew her knees close to her chest; her hind paws were flat and firmly planted into the mattress’ memory foam. To the inattentive it would seem as though she were holding herself for comfort, but underneath the comforter her body was spring steel, ready to leap into action at a moment’s notice. “And why is that, fox?”_

_The red furred mammal chuckled as he leaned back into the chair, the small movement completely casting his torso into shadow; only his white, toothy smile and emerald eyes were visible. “You should **know** why, Captain.”_

_“What did **you** do!?” The rabbit shrieked as she shook the pistol at the fox. It was highly uncharacteristic for Captain Judith Hopps to lose her composure but in this instance it wasn’t something that had even crossed her mind. What had he done to her marines?!_

_The brigand’s sardonic laugh was far more boisterous than she could have anticipated, his voice echoing throughout the room loud enough to make her ears ring. Judy’s vision blurred as her free paw left the comforter to clutch at the side of her head. Despite the pain, or lack thereof, the fox’s voice was crystal clear. “What did **I** do!?”_

_Judy squeaked when the fox leapt the chair and onto the foot of the bed; the rabbit reflexively squeezed off a bolt of energy that caught him square in the face. Violet eyes widened in disbelief as he shrugged off what should have instantly killed him, the vulpine pirate hunching over as he laughed even harder. Despite being an experienced naval officer the sight of his cracked flesh, blistered and smoking, made the rabbit violently ill; it took all she had to keep from vomiting. “What you should be wondering, my dear bunny, is what I didn’t do… and **why.** ”_

_The lapine officer quivered in terror when she realized that his skin began crawling. Hundreds of thin veiny lines slithered under the surface of his fur until dozens of worms burst forth from the end of his nose and curled back to lap at his damaged flesh. The mass of black creep that covered his muzzle undulated for a few moments before retreating quickly back into his body; despite the wet appearance of the creatures there was no luster to his freshly repaired fur and tissue. Completely frozen in place the lapine officer could only watch as the pirate dropped down to his paws and knees in front of her; a low growl escaped his maw as the sounds of contorting bone and sinew filled the air. **“I had the superior ship.”**_

_The fox’s voice deepened considerably as he slowly grew in size, enough to the point that his every word vibrated her very core. Judy’s teeth clenched as she abandoned the center of her bed and pressed herself up against the wall in a vain effort to get as far away from him as possible. **“I had the superior shields. The superior weapons.”**_

_Wilde was as large as a tiger now, his mass filling out the entirety of her small room. A scream clawed at the back of her throat but it couldn’t escape as the fox’s coal black nose pressed firmly against her chest, pinning her to the wall behind her. Wide violet eyes stared into crazed, savage jade. **“Remember those few engagements when I held my ground and fought?”**_

_Massive jaws opened up to reveal fangs as long as her legs, and they clicked menacingly with his every word. **“It was clear who the winner would be, Hopps. So ask yourself this question: Why would I flee victory?”**_

**_“I could have easily finished our last battle with a salvo of my ship’s rockets. Turned you and your whole ship into nothing but slag drifting through the cold, dark embrace of space. But I didn’t.”_ **

_The massive fox slowly pulled away from Judy, leaving her unbalanced as her hind paws struggled to find equilibrium on the bed’s uneven surface. The rabbit inhaled deeply, her nostrils sucking in oxygen greedily as the black spots that danced across her vision slowly faded away. The hold out blaster she had was missing, but that train of thought was derailed as the monster’s large tongue snaked out and dragged along her front. Judy trembled as the warm, wet muscle slid over her form. **“Oh, my little morsel…”**_

**_“I fought ships far larger than yours and disabled them. I did battle with captains far more experienced than you and I outsmarted them.”_ **

_“If that’s true then why did you-?!” Her words died when the massive canine opened his jaws and lunged towards her with a roar. With her eyes squeezed shut the rabbit surrendered to the wave of doom that washed over her; he was going to swallow her whole!_

_Nothing came._

_It took an effort for Judy to open her eyes, but when she did she realized that there was simply nothing around her. Gone was the cramped grey of her quarters and in its stead was a seemingly endless inky black void. The fox stood a few paces away to rabbit’s front, and he was back to his rightful size, barely standing head and shoulders taller than her. Wilde’s paws were in his pockets and his head was cocked to the side; hooded green eyes twinkled in delight. **“Those are questions you need to ask yourself, Carrots. You better start digging soon though, or I’m afraid you’ll go insane before we reach port. Ta-ta, Fluff.”**_

* * *

 

_**‘0249 Hours’.**_

Captain Hopps sighed as she rolled out of bed and peeled out of her undergarments. Barely three hours of sleep and she was already drenched in sweat. Every part of her felt gross, she would have to change her sheets as well as her pillow. She decided that she would do that later as she padded over to her dresser and began pulling out a clean pair of undergarments and fresh linens. “SERA, turn on the shower; 42 degrees centigrade please.”

            Judy ignored the soft beep from the _Burrow’s Semi-autonomous Environmental control Relay Apparatus_ as the sounds of rushing water flowed into the room with small tendrils of steam licking along the doorway that led to her quarter’s small but private bathroom. A nice hot shower, clean clothes, fresh linens and a 20 milligram dose of _diozenexyius_ should put her down for at least seven hours of restful, dreamless sleep. As the rabbit moved into the bathroom and stepped into the spray of hot water she took great care to ensure she didn’t get the bandages on her head wet; it was annoying but she’d wash once her wounds mended.

            Captain Judith Hopps of the GFN _Burrow_ let out blissful sigh as the liquid heat sunk into her fur while she poured a generous amount of fur soap onto her brush and began scrubbing her body firmly. A low hum emanated from her throat, filling the bathroom with a local tune from her family’s farm on Rabbitia. It was highly disappointing for the rabbit because despite the activity there seemed to be nothing that could drag her thoughts away from tilted jade eyes and the secrets they carried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _"What stood out about him the most? Well, if you truly want to know... I would have to say it was his eyes. They were rare, at least on my home world of Rabbitia, but more than that was the fact that just by looking at them you could tell he was keeping secrets. Did I know at the time just deep those secrets would go? No. Of course not. How could I?"_
> 
> ~ Excerpt taken from Captain Judith Lavern Hopps' interview with _Prey Holozine_
> 
> Check out my Deviant Art page to see the artwork!


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